Another huge win for Real yesterday. Referree decisions aside they played good enough to win and have won 2 huge games over Barca, but despite that Tuesday looms large. The Man U game is the biggest game of the season and carries with it the hopes of all Madrid fans.
So what's at state;
Real has trounced their eternal rival twice in one week, but the Copa is the least valued of the of the three titles. The league match was for bragging rights as the title is way out of reach. It's the UCL that could legitimize their season, but at the same time a bad result could end it. Just like Barca the next three months could be all going through the motions with little left of value on the league calendar.
Jose Mo has had a habit of smelling like roses. Two loses to Barca and the media would be foaming at the mouth for him, but he got the wins and now the praise for him having Real right at the right time is pouring in from all corners. If we take a step back though we have to realize he lost the league in the prior year. His team has been in shambles behind the scenes and few believe he will return. He didn't win his UCL group, which is why this leg is on the road. He's got Real 1-1 going into an away leg against probably the 4th best team in the world. To say that he has them in perfect position is a very questionable belief. Winning Tuesday changes all that, but I think a lot rests on the result for him that these last two wins can't make up for.
The Copa is not a forgone conclusion. When Barca advanced last year they really were a shoe in to win the Copa, but Real face a tough opponent looking for a signature win. Success in the UCL looms bigger as Real could go from a shot at two to zero trophies in a lot of scenarios. This season will be immediately viewed as a major disappointment.
Ronaldo wants his Balon D'or during the Messi era. With Barca barely in the UCL big Ron has his best chance in the last four years to get it. He's scored 3 goals against Barca and Man U in big games. Messi has one goal against Milan and Real over the same stretch. A big game against Man U could make him the favorite unless Messi and company can really turn things around against Milan. Ronaldo needs the UCL considering the records Messi is dropping this season. If they exit now Messi will likely get it again as he's poised to shatter the same records he set last year and Barca are going to win the league.
Sir Alex looks poised to stay at Old Trafford for a few more seasons. If you are Sir Alex and you see what's happening financially to Ronaldo you have to realize you can possibly pluck the striker away. Even if you have to go to the war chest you will have so much support from your fan base to do it and you have a big leg up on Real due to the tax laws. A loss on Tuesday reignites the Ronaldo to Man U hype machine. With Real having very little to play for after a loss Marca and every other major news agency will make this the story. That will only make it tougher for Real to keep Ronaldo in town. Certainly something that Florentino Perez doesn't need on his mind.
Jose Mo could be dead meat if Real do not advance. While winning Tuesday still leaves a lot of tough rounds until a UCL title can be grasped. A first round loss is a lot worse than a third round though. Jose Mo's chances of being around after this year would be greatly diminshed. He needs this win. I don't buy the hype that he wants to leave. I think it's all spin out of his camp to keep the egg of his face for the failings of Real this season. Failure in Real this season could only add to the nay sayers on Jose and could be a put off to a lot of rich owners. It's not like Perez didn't give him a cupboard full of world class players.
I'm usually hyper critical of people when they say one game that means so much and defines a team. Usually one game is just one game, but this game carries a lot of strings attached. I'll be interested to see how it all plays out and how it changes the landscape of soccer over the coming months.
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